The present invention relates generally to an aluminum extruded bumper, and, more particularly, to an ultra-light aluminum extruded bumper that allows more design flexibility.
Bumpers for vehicles, including automobiles are well known and serve a variety of functions. Extruded bumpers for vehicles are traditionally formed by extruding the bumper along the y-axis or in other words, the axis that extends along the length of the bumper. This typically provides a bumper with a constant cross-section and a closed front face. Additionally, the shelf depth between the top and bottom surfaces is typically constant as the distance is locked because of the extrusion process. Any reshaping of the bumper structure would require expensive operations, such as multiple material removal operations.
Bumpers that are extruded along the y-axis suffer from a variety of disadvantages in that because they are typically not open from the front and do not readily provide a cooling path through the bumper to components located behind the footprint of the bumper. Additionally, once these types of bumpers have been formed, they are not susceptible to the easy packaging of other components therein, as there is relatively little access to the bumper compartment because of the closed condition. Thus, any loading and/or removal of components for purposes of packaging occurs primarily through the open sides.
Thus, when a conventional extruded bumper beam is impacted or subjected to a force, such as from a high-speed impact, the entire beam deforms.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide an extruded bumper with an open through area to provide a cooling path.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an extruded bumper that allows for improved packaging of various components.
It is a further another advantage of the present invention to provide an extruded bumper that has a reduced weight and thus provides increased fuel economy.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide an extruded bumper that can be asymmetrical in both the front and plan view.
In accordance with the above and other advantages of the present invention, an aluminum extruded bumper for a vehicle and a method for forming same is provided. The bumper has a top face, a bottom face generally opposing the top face, a front face; and a rear face generally opposing the front face. The top face, the bottom face, the front face, and the rear face generally define a bumper interior cavity. The bumper interior cavity has at least one partition located therein, which is aligned in a longitudinal plane defined by a vehicle rail.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.